If you love rhubarb, you're going to love these Oatmeal Brown Sugar Rhubarb Cookies. They are a delicious and simple drop rhubarb oatmeal cookie, bursting with cinnamon and orange flavors and studded with bright pink bits of rhubarb! You can make them with either fresh or frozen rhubarb.
Rhubarb cookies are popular in the spring during rhubarb season. I created this easy rhubarb cookie recipe because I love rhubarb and wanted it in the form of an easy cookie! This recipe was inspired by my Easy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on this site, and pairs well with a cup of coffee, tea or glass of milk. They are a yummy variation of traditional oatmeal cookies.
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Rhubarb is such a versatile vegetable (yes, it's actually a vegetable, but behaves like a fruit when you bake with it) and tastes so great in so many dishes.
Here are some of my other rhubarb recipes to try: Rhubarb Squares (shown below), Microwave Rhubarb Crisp (in a mug), Rhubarb Dessert (No Bake), Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe, 2 Ingredient Rhubarb Lemonade, Sticky Rhubarb Pudding, Stewed Rhubarb Recipe (with Strawberry Gelatin), Healthy Rhubarb Muffins (Weight Watchers Friendly) and Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake (No Bake)
🥘Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients for these Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies.
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour * If you are using fresh rhubarb you may need a little less flour.
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ¾ cups quick cooking rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups chopped rhubarb
🔪Instructions
Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Chop rhubarb stalks into small pieces of rhubarb (if using fresh). *Frozen rhubarb should be chopped prior to freezing.
Combine butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract.
Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and beat with an electric mixer until combined.
Add the rolled oats, chopped rhubarb, and orange zest, and mix thoroughly by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Mix well until it is the consistency of cookie dough.
Hint: If you are using fresh rhubarb you may need a little less flour.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Alternatively, you could use a medium cookie scoop.
Continue to place the cookie dough in heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees/175 degrees C for about 18 minutes.
They will be golden brown on the bottom.
Cool for 3 minutes, then move to a cooling rack for an additional 3-5 minutes or until set.
*You can garnish these Oatmeal Rhubarb cookies with some additional grated orange zest, if you wish.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Butter - you can use salted butter instead of unsalted, but they will be a little less sweet - you may want to compensate with 2 tablespoon more sugar
- Rhubarb- you can use fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb *If you are using frozen rhubarb, just measure the rhubarb AFTER it's defrosted and excess liquid is drained off
- Rolled Oats- if you don't have quick rolled oats, but you do have regular oats aka old fashioned oats, you can substitute them. Just pulse a few times in a food processor, but don't do it too long or you'll end up with oat flour! And if you don't do this, your end product will be chewier.
- Orange zest - alternatively, you could use lemon zest
🍽Equipment
You will need an electric mixer (a hand or a stand mixer), a large mixing bowl, a medium bowl, a wooden spoon/mixing spoon, a baking sheet, and a cooling rack for this rhubarb cookie recipe. You may also want to invest in a cookie scoop if you make a lot of cookies! *See recipe card for equipment recommendation photos and links
🌡️Storage
Store rhubarb cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. These cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container or ziploc freezer bag.
👪 Serving Size
This rhubarb cookies recipe makes 30 cookies. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🦺Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw egg
- Wash hands after touching raw egg
- Do not eat raw cookie dough - you can eat my edible cookie dough instead!
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Never leave cooking food unattended See more guidelines at USDA.gov
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use frozen rhubarb in cookies. Just defrost the rhubarb, drain it through a sieve, and measure it AFTER it's defrosted and excess liquid has been drained.
⭐ COMMENTS & REVIEWS
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Whether you have fresh or frozen rhubarb on hand, these delicious cookies are perfect for making the most of your rhubarb. You'll love the combination of rhubarb, oats, and a hint of orange in this easy recipe!
📋 Oatmeal Brown Sugar Rhubarb Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all -purpose flour * If you are using fresh rhubarb you may need a little less flour. Start off with 1 ¾ cups and add a little more as needed until you get the texture of cookie dough, as shown in photo
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¾ cups quick cooking rolled oats (quick oats)
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb
Garnish (optional)
- additional orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy.
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon and baking soda.
- Add flour mixture to bowl with butter/sugar mixture and beat with electric mixer until combined.
- Add the rolled oats, rhubarb and orange zest.
- Mix thoroughly until it forms a cookie dough.
- Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
- Continue to place the cookie dough in heaping tablespoons onto parchment-covered baking sheets.
- Bake at 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C for about 18 minutes.
- They should be lightly browned on bottom.
- Cool for 3 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool for an additional 3-5 minutes or until set.*Add a little orange zest to the tops of the cookies, if desired
Maya
These brown sugar rhubarb cookies are incredible! Soft, chewy, and just the right balance of sweet and tart. I used fresh garden rhubarb and followed the recipe exactly my whole family loved them. Definitely adding this to my summer baking list
Terri Gilson
That's great, Maya! Happy to hear this!
We love them too 🙂
Terri
Terri Gilson
These Oatmeal Brown Sugar Rhubarb Cookies are amazing! I'm always on the lookout for new ways to use rhubarb in the spring, and these cookies hit the spot. The mix of cinnamon, orange, and tart rhubarb bits is so tasty, and I love that I can use either fresh or frozen rhubarb. It's such a clever way to turn a spring veggie into a sweet treat!
Karen McDonald
Absolutely delicious cookies. I added walnuts in half the recipe. It’s now one of my favorite cookies to make😊
Terri Gilson
Hi Karen,
I’m so glad to hear you loved them!
Terri